It was painful to watch.

It sparked a finger-pointing back-and-forth between Carey's team and Dick Clark Productions.

Carey rep Nicole Perna told Billboard that Dick Clark Productions "set her up to fail" and that there were issues with her in-ear monitors.

"We told them [the stage managers] that the in-ears were not working 10 minutes before the performance," Carey's agent, Stella Bulochnikov, told Billboard.

But on Tuesday Dick Clark Productions told Deadline it investigated and the allegation that it "would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd."

The company added, "In very rare instances there are of course technical errors that can occur with live television, however, an initial investigation has indicated that DCP had no involvement in the challenges associated with Ms. Carey’s New Year’s Eve performance."